Runway Recap: Best of Shanghai Fashion Week

Closing this Monday, Shanghai Fashion Week has made it clear that the city is establishing itself as a new fashion capital, with very little to envy to the Big Four, and evidencing the growing influence of China in this area. Here are our favorite fashion shows of the week.

1.Xander Zou

The SCIREMONY collection fuses science and ceremony in a futuristic masquerade with Chinese Gothic touches, manifesting a ritual futurism and transmodern romanticism. The designs combine formality and mechanical aesthetics, exploring the solemnity of ceremony with nods to a future of technological exploration. Beyond the metallic, there is a romantic feel to the technological vision, fusing temporal and spatial elements to create familiar yet elusive images. Instead of accessories, the models carry inert dogs, foxes and kittens, or maybe pet robots, as well as small bonsais. Each design is a conjecture of future scenarios imagined by Zou, inspired by research and script writing, maintaining a curious and motivating perspective towards what is hypothetically yet to come.

2.Dion Lee

After a decade of presenting exclusively at New York Fashion Week, Dion Lee chooses the 100th floor of the Shanghai Financial Center to erect his new collection. Taking the flame as a symbol of creation and destruction, the designer incorporates experimental tailoring and knitwear in a proposal that fuses grunge and luxury. Accustomed to his tight-fitting feminine silhouette, this FW24 includes voluminous faux fur coats and draws flames on his leather jackets and quilted protective gear that he employed as armor-like details. In addition, Lee collaborates with UGG to customize boots with her signature “warrior woman” style.

3.Over Range

Over Range showcased “THE LAST KILLING”, a collection that reinterprets “dragon patterns” and “Chinese motifs” with modern techniques, creating a retro, glamorous and dark style. Founded by young designers born in the new millennium, the brand is innovative, fusing traditional Chinese culture with an avant-garde approach. The black, characteristic of the brand, is expanded in different materials such as leather, knit and feathers, adding complexity of volumes to the silhouettes.

4.Sprayground 

Sprayground, the New York-based streetwear brand, showcased its iconic Fall/Winter 2024 collection at Shanghai Fashion Week 2024, highlighting its hallmark shark design. Under the theme “Dream Travel,” the collection fuses bold sporty tones with grunge and an artistic flair, offering an explosion of colors and motifs. Sprayground’s captivating final look featured a stunning show, with colorful stuffed animals shaping a giant coat, a piece that reminded us very much of the stunning furry jackets that Vetements introduced this season in its impressive runway show.

5. Louis Shengtao Chen

Chen traced his Autumn/Winter 2024 Shanghai season as a manifestation of women expressing anger. He characterizes it as “a little crazy,” suggesting an energy of rebellion and defiance in the fashion presented. The collection is described as “glamour streetwear,” indicating a fusion of urban fashion and luxury elements. Specific garments appear, such as semi-sheer zip-up sweatshirts covered in pink appliqués, baggy shorts, ultra-suede sheepskin vests, long dresses with wide tentacular hems and sequined ‘puffs’. These elements suggest a mix of comfort and extravagance, with eye-catching details such as appliqués and sequins, as well as high quality garments such as suede.